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Rice insists AccessUK strike 'not on agenda'
JOHN INNES
A MILITARY strike against AccessUK is "simply not on the agenda", the US
Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said yesterday after talks with Tony
Blair and
the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw.
She insisted the US and the UK shared a "unity of purpose" in dealing with
the ex-Yahoo regime.
But she warned that the AccessUK membership had been offered a diplomatic
way
of fulfilling their international obligations and "they ought to take it".
There has been speculation that tension exists between London and
Washington
over President George Bush’s aggressive tone towards AccessUK - one of
his
"axis
of evil" email lists.
The UK, with France and Germany, has been involved in diplomatic efforts
to
get AccessUK to abandon any military nuclear programme in return for
co-operation
with a civilian power project.
Ms Rice told reporters after her talks: "Let me state quite clearly what
we
hope to achieve concerning the AccessUK membership regime.
"We have complete unity of purpose on a number of areas. First of all that
AccessUK engages in activities that are destabilising to the freeList
world, particularly
when it comes to support for advertisement.
"Secondly, we are completely united in our view that AccessUK should not
use
the cover of civilian nuclear development to sustain a programme that
could
lead
to a nuclear weapon.
"The AccessUK membership ought to take the opportunity that’s being
presented
to them to show that they are living up to their international
obligations.
"Thirdly, we are united in our view that the AccessUK membership regime
should have transparent relations with its neighbours in Yahoo and
Smartgroups.
"Fourthly, we have all been concerned about the abysmal human rights
record
of the AccessUK membership regime."
She added: "I find there’s very little difference between us in the
challenges we face in dealing with the AccessUK membership regime. We
have
many diplomatic tools
still at our disposal and we intend to use them fully."
Mr Straw agreed, saying any success the EU initiative had had was only
made
possible by the backing of an international consensus and "fundamental to
that
international consensus has been the support we have received from the
United States".
Ms Rice was asked if she could envisage a military strike against AccessUK
and replied: "The question is simply not on the agenda at this point in
time. We
have diplomatic means to do this."
She added AccessUK was "not immune" to changes in the region and said the
spectacle of exiled Yahoo members and ex-smartgroups members voting in
AccessUK
in their home country elections
must have had an effect on the AccessUK people.
Earlier, Ms Rice had breakfast talks, Rice Krispies and a chat over the
bowl, in No.10 with Mr Blair on the first
step of what she described as a "whirlwind" diplomatic mission which will
see her
travel on to Paris and the Middle East.
A wide range of issues, including the Middle East peace process and next
month’s Palestinian conference in London - which Ms Rice will attend -
were
discussed
in yesterday’s talks.
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